The Hero's Many Faces
by H. B. Dragonheart
Summary: An encounter with a foe from the past forces Link to face his fears. Now... it is time for him to find out who he really is. The child? The hero? ...The deity? Which is the true Link? pt. 1 of 4
1. A Fierce Destiny

The Hero's May Faces - Chapter 1

The Hero's Many Faces 

The Zelda games and all characters in them are owned by Nintendo. Shucks. 

_... A dark cloud rolls over the landscape. He's been here before, the gates to Hyrule Town... Shortly, a tall figure on horseback emerges from the gates. No! Something's wrong with the picture... the figure isn't Ganondorf this time. He's wrapped in a navy cloak. And that's Epona - the mature horse, not the filly, mind - that he's riding. The figure looks down at the lonely boy. "You're only afraid of yourself, you know, and yet that is enough..." he whispers in Link's own voice. The cloak is whipped away, and the mysterious person's real features are revealed. Moonlight glitters off pure white hair, framing piercing white eyes and a painted face... "You can't escape me now. Good guys? Bad guys? What's the difference?"..._

Link bolted upright in bed. It was just a dream, he told himself. But still - it must mean something. He swung his feet out of bed, smacking his toes on the side. It was getting too small - one day soon, he'd have to leave for good. Everyone'd comment worse than they ever did before long...he visualised Mido's remarks. No, better to go. He sighed. Today... yes, today... he would leave the forest. Again. 

He glanced in the mirrored shield set in the corner. His usual blue eyes looked out from an eleven-year-old's face, but with worries that no boy that age should have set behind them. Yes, he was still himself. "Whatever that means," he muttered. 

Quickly, he began to pack his belongings. A few Rupees, first - then the Ocarina. The bow, charmed arrows and hookshot next. Then the Lens of Truth - he never knew when it could be handy. After some though, he unlocked the chest where he had stored the magical masks. Only the ...special ones, though - the rest had been given to the salesman back in town. The Zora, Deku and Goron masks came out quickly. He paused before removing the fourth - was it right to take it? The haunting face in his dreams - the Fierce Deity. He sighed and packed it too. Pulling his sword and shield into place, he walked outside. Instinctively after his time in Termina, but telling himself to stop being a fool, he looked at the sky. No, everything was as it should be. The moon a silver orb in the far heavens. The sun's first rays crept over the treetops. 

Planning to get away quickly, he was surprised to see his oldest friend standing by the tree and tickling Epona behind the ears. All the Kokiri had been surprised by Epona when they first saw her - the first horse some of them had seen. One of them, though, had felt sure she'd seen the filly before - and, in a way, she had. Or would. 

"Saria? What're you doing here?" 

"I found someone who was looking for you..." A dart of light flew out from behind Saria. 

"Navi? Where have you been? I was worried... I looked everywhere, I mean, everywhere for you!" Time enough to tell her about Termina. 

"I missed you. Even if you are annoying. " 

"Me? Annoying? I'll give you... ah, I missed you, too!" He laughed and reached to the fairy fluttering. After a couple of seconds, he sighed and spoke. "Saria... I'm going. For good. I can't stay here any longer." He glanced at his feet. 

"Oh, Link..." Not the Sage, but the child, she reached to her mouth. "I'll miss you so much... but I knew this had to happen. I guess this is goodbye again, then... I'll always remember you. Remember me, too... " 

"Always..." He swung onto the filly's back. "Goodbye, Saria... Thanks for being such a true friend." He blinked. _And thanks for the things you haven't done yet, Sage of the Forest... _"Come on, Epona. Navi? I guess you're coming?..." 

At a steady walk, they left the woods. 

It wasn't until they were quite a distance from the forest that it quite struck Link what had just happened. Where would he go now? As he saw it, his options were limited. He could go to Kakariko or Hyrule Market, return to Termina, or go to the Ranch. The first two seemed his best bet. The third just wasn't practical, although it had a certain appeal. And as for four... _Great. I'm lost. And I know exactly where I am..._

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a loud explosion. He looked about in shock. A column of smoke was coming from the town. Without thinking, he spurred Epona into a gallop. What was it? Reaching the gates, he leapt off the filly's back, and ran into town. 

The source of the problem became obvious as he arrived in the square. The Temple - destroyed. How... why... what... Numbly, he made his way to the portal through times. 

He wasn't alone. A familiar figure was there too - Princess Zelda herself. Alone of all the future Sages, he had chosen to tell her what would happen - had happened - could have happened if he hadn't acted. She seemed to already know what he was going to say, but... That timeline was sealed away, just as the Door of Time was sealed. 

Had been sealed. 

It wasn't so secure any more. The three crystals were scattered across the floor, and the altar just rubble. 

Link rushed over to Zelda. "What happened here, Princess?" 

"He's returned. Ganon - I don't know how, but he's travelled back in time, to destroy us before we destroy him." A look on her face suggested that wasn't all. "And... and..." She pointed with a shuddering finger. 

"The sword..." The Master Sword, Evil's Bane... 

Snapped in two, like a Deku Stick. 

"There's an old legend. I think it's coming true. 

_The Dark One, once-banished, will return to the place of his conquest. Their sacred blade destroyed, the gods will take on human form to destroy him in his turn. Their hero will see his soul face to face, once, twice, then forever... _Link, what's the matter?" Zelda glanced at him. Link had turned pale. 

" ' The gods in human form'..." he whispered to himself. "My dream... that's what it meant? But... no, I can't..." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Princess, it's a long story..." He began to recount the saga of his travels in Termina, shuddering as he told the tale of his - was it truly his? - battle with Majora. He finished by describing the dream he'd had. A vision, it seemed. "So... I can't defeat Ganon as I am, but as..." 

"That's what it seems like to me." She lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry..." She could see how much the idea of becoming the Fierce Deity again hurt Link. 

"So? What are you waiting for?" piped up Navi. 

"You never saw it... there's dark powers in there I don't understand. I know I've got to use them again, but..." He paused. "It's what happens next that worries me. " 

Outside again, they spotted Ganon heading towards the desert. It seemed that darkness followed the evil king's movements, allowing them to spot him easily. He couldn't seem to stay in one form or the other - the Gerudo and the monster seemed to be fighting for control of his body. Zelda and Link took turns riding until they were almost on top of him - almost in danger. Link put his hand on her shoulder. 

"Zelda... wait here. Don't come closer unless I say. Have this back, too..." He thrust the ocarina into her hands. 

"Why?" 

"If things go wrong... I don't want you to be hurt. " He hung his head. "I don't want to hurt you..." 

She nodded. "Good luck... I know you can do this." 

Hurrying into the fray on horseback, Link never saw the trickle of tears in the princess' eyes... 

- 

Author's notes: What do you think? My first time, so please, please, review it guys! Thanks! 


	2. Dark Forces

The Hero's Many Faces - Chapter 2

The Hero's Many Faces 

Chapter 2: Dark Forces 

The Zelda games and all characters in them are owned by Nintendo. Shucks. 

"Hey! Looking for me?" Link looked up at the dark figure. The evil king seemed amused by the nerve of the child - so what if he'd grow up a hero? As he was, he was no threat. He'd seen the sword shatter in the explosion at the temple - a focused blast of energy had seen it ruined. He had nothing to fear. 

"Foolish boy. Why do you think you can defeat me? You haven't got a chance." 

"I haven't, no..." 

Almost casually, masking his fear - not only of his opponent but of himself - Link flipped the Fierce Deity's mask on. Dark forces pulsed through his body, transforming... Two minds into one...He roared, in the pain of body and soul. As suddenly as it began, the transformation ended A powerful warrior spirit looked at his nemesis through empty eyes. 

"Now, perhaps?" He drew his sword. Losing control, Ganon the monster attacked, all pretences at humanity abandoned... 

The battle began. 

_...Ha! Remember me?..._

_...This guy's pathetic! Weak... How could I have had such trouble fighting him before? Well, that was then, the bad old days. I was just as weak. But now..._

Effortlessly, he leapt backwards over the swinging blades. No Light Arrows? No problem! It wasn't like he needed them now. His sword was the only weapon he needed. A blast of blue energy flared from the tip, smashing Ganon between the eyes. The minotaur-creature roared. 

_...No, I don't need to go back to how I was..._

_...Yes, I do..._

He sprang sideways, and slashed at the unprotected tail. Ganon left himself so vulnerable! The fool... so big, so slow. Unworthy of the powers that the Triforce bestowed upon him. 

_...Am I?..._

_...What a stupid question!..._

Ganon raged, and lunged forward. The blows were deflected easily. The fierce spirit burning, he leapt and sent another energy burst into the evil one's face. He vaulted round and brought the double blades of his sword down on the weak spot. 

The monster-king was flagging fast. Two more blows brought him down. The conquering deity felt no pity as he thrust the sword into the demonic heart, and stopped its eternal beat - only satisfaction. 

_...This isn't how it should go..._

_...Says who?..._

Ganon faded away - back to his prison? Who knew? A triangular shape blazed at the fading figure's heart for a moment, before vanishing. 

_...Okay. I have to go back!..._

_...Why? To be a foolish child? A little boy lost and confused? I don't think so..._

_...No, it's not right. I have to..._

Inside, he struggled. Who was he, anyway? Was he just wearing a mask, or was this truly who he was, and who he was supposed to be? Was the face behind the mask really him? 

Three words mocked him. 

_Hero of Time..._

Link clasped both hands to his face. Fighting with himself, trying to free himself from the powers, he rolled on the ground. Concentrating all his will on reclaiming his body - his old self, he screamed. "Zelda... Princess... help me! The Ocarina!" 

"What should I do?" she shouted back. 

"Ah...no... play for me... the song of healing...three middle notes descending, repeated...ah, euh.. no... it's..." Faint traces of blue flickered in his eyes, but were flooded out. 

He was losing. 

_At least I won that last battle..._

The darkness was calling. 

A/N - Thanks so much for all the reviews on Chapter 1 - keep them coming. You guys are great. Sorry it's only a short 'un this time, but what d'you think? 


	3. Persistence of Vision

The Hero's Many Faces - Chapter 3

The Hero's Many Faces 

Chapter 3 – Persistence of Vision 

Usual disclaimers and blah. The gods at Nintendo own the Zelda games, but I _sort of_ own Kaelon. So there.

Dawn crept over the ranch. As a cock crowed, Talon slowly stirred. After a time, he slipped out of bed and out to work, grumbling "Why do I have to...". The Cuccos pecked around his feet as he blundered downstairs. He yanked on the door, stepped outside - 

and nearly tripped over what looked like a bundle of sheets on the doorstep. "What in tarnation..." he wondered. He bent down to take a closer look. The sheets contained a sleeping baby, who clutched something long and thin. "What're you doing here? Oh well. I'd better take a look at you." Carefully, trying not to disturb him, he bundled the child and mysterious object into his arms and carried them back. 

_Ten years later... _

"Kae! Come here! I've told you a hundred times about climbing trees..." 

"Aw, Sis!" Kaelon grumbled, in the style of younger siblings the world over. "Do I have to... I like it up here..." 

"Don't look at me like that. Tell you what, you come down now and I won't tell dad about what you were up to. Deal?" 

"Okay. I'm coming..." Carefully, he dropped out of the tree. Malon wondered - her adopted brother seemed to get himself into all sorts of scrapes, but still, he never got seriously hurt. It was as if he had someone watching over him all the time apart from her, keeping him safe. 

_Like a fairy... _she thought, then angrily pushed the idea aside. It had been ten years since her "fairy boy" had... been lost, but she still thought about him sometimes. He wasn't dead, she knew - but he might as well have been, for all that had happened to him. 

"Malon? What's the matter?" 

"Oh. Nothing. I was just thinking about someone I used to know... Come on. Let's go in. Dinner's nearly ready. That is, if Dad didn't fall asleep and burn it..." They walked back to the house laughing. 

_...The bright grass stretched all the way to an unbroken horizon, except for a tree on a hill. Above him, a grinning moon. He walked to the tree, but nothing else was there. He walked on... but a noise caught his attention. He looked round. A shadowy figure stood under the tree. He wandered back... The figure became clearer. A tall man, seemingly young but at the same time somehow ageless, with pure white hair and odd marks on his face. He seized a strange double-bladed sword and attacked... Kaelon span and fell to the ground. He got up, but the warrior had vanished. Instead, there was a boy of Kaelon's age, in green, with the same blue eyes. He reached out a hand... "Remember..."..._

Kaelon awoke with a start. Nightmares again? He hadn't had them since he was seven. Then, it was a man on a black horse, and a giant pig-like monster. Those had been the normal sort of scary, but this new one seemed to be playing with his mind in a different way. Carefully, trying not to disturb anyone else, he walked to the window and looked out over the peaceful ranch. Struck by a sudden idea, he looked for the moon. No, it was still normal. Everything looked so peaceful. _Unlike my head_. "Why me..." he muttered under his breath, before crawling back to bed and clamping the pillows round his ears to block out Talon's snores. 

The next day was market day in town. Usually, Kaelon would plead with his father or sister, depending on whose turn it was to deliver milk and eggs to the castle, if he could come. The argument was so well rehearsed that there was really no point his even trying, but try he did. It never worked. But today was different. 

"Hey, kid." 

"Huh, Sis?" 

"Fancy a ride?" 

"What, you're letting me..." 

"Sure. It's a big delivery today. You can help." 

"Gee! Thanks!" He gave her a hug. 

"Hey! Don't strangle me!" 

"Oh. Sorry." 

The journey across the field was uneventful, although Malon seemed edgy. Perhaps she was just worried. Or is there something she's not telling me? Kaelon wondered. 

It was mid-morning by the time they reached the bustling market. Kaelon looked about in wonder - he'd never seen it in full swing before. The only time he'd been to town before was when he was little and they'd gone to see the ruined temple. That had been interesting, but they'd have to leave in a hurry. He still wondered why. Despite the unfamiliarity of it all, somehow he'd felt at home there. 

This was different. People pushed and shoved around them. In the crowds, he could see a group of three - well, they were walking fish weren't they? He remembered the name. Zoras, that was it! They stood behind a fish stall. He wandered into the crowds, hearing his sister's voice warning him blending into the background. Curious, he walked over to the temple. Two guards stood by the entrance. 

"Sorry, but you're not allowed in." 

"Why?" 

"It's just the rules." 

Dejected, he turned back and headed to the cart. 

Something felt wrong. The crowds were quieting. As he arrived back, Malon grabbed his arm. 

"Stay here. Just - stay by me," she snapped, in a totally different tone of voice to normal. He looked around. There was someone coming through the crowds. A tall figure in armour, standing above the rest, but he moved almost silently. Everyone moved away - afraid? - as he approached. 

Kaelon craned his neck to see. He gave a yelp of surprise as he recognised who it was. That was... 

It was hard for white eyes to seem in the slightest shocked, but for a fleeting moment the strange figure's did. _Deja vu_, he thought. _Mind you, that kid does look a lot like I did back then... Not that it matters. _He turned and walked towards the castle. 

The market slowly returned to normal. Malon glanced round at her brother, whose eyes were still wide in surprise. 

"Kae? Kae! What's up?" 

"That man... I saw him in a dream last night..." Malon looked at him, but said nothing. "Do you know who he is?" 

Grimly, she nodded. "Yes. I do." In an undertone, she added, "I wish I didn't." 

They sat on the back of the cart and talked. 

"Some people call him the Fierce Deity. Others, Oni. I've heard him called all sorts of names, including those that I really don't want to repeat. But his real name - though he never uses it - is Link." Kaelon looked up in surprise. He'd heard the name before, he was sure of it... "I knew him when we were kids. About your age, in fact. It was market day, and Dad had gone to deliver milk to the castle. Surprise surprise, he dozed off when he was there. Link found him sleeping when he snuck into the castle. I think he was trying to see the princess. Anyway, he sent him home. After that point, we became friends. I even let him have Epona - don't look so surprised, he could handle her as well as you and I can. Sweet little thing she was then... But about a year after we first met... 

"A stranger appeared on the ranch. Well, I say 'stranger', but... He was leading Epona. He said he didn't need her any more. I wondered what he meant - but then I saw his face. Even though he looked older, even though his eyes and hair had changed, I recognised him for who he was. He'd changed for good... inside and out. I don't know why, but my friend was gone, and the Fierce Deity had taken his place..." She wiped her eyes. "Sorry. It's still hard to think about what happened, even after all this time." 

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." 

"No - it's not your fault. You weren't to know. Actually, it's done me good to talk it over. Anyway, where were we... 

"I've heard rumours that he's been in charge of the country since the old king died, that he's the real power behind the throne. I don't know how true that is - if it is, then I feel so sorry for the queen. I don't even want to guess." Kaelon put a sympathetic hand on Malon's. She sighed. "It's not fair, just not fair..." She paused. "Hang on. What's that on your hand?" They looked together. A faint brown pattern seemed to be traced on the skin, like a highly selective suntan. 

"I dunno. Been there a couple of days. Doesn't hurt." 

"No... I've seen it before." She peered closer. "Looks like... never!" The last was in a hushed tone. "_He_ had one just like it. He never made a big thing of it... before, and... after... you couldn't see it under his gauntlets, if he still had - has - it. I wonder what it means?" 

"Does it matter?" 

"Probably not. Strange, though." Malon sighed. "Come on. We've got to get this finished." They scarcely talked for the rest of the day. The ride back home was subdued. There was too much to think about. 

A/N – I know this chapter's going in a totally different direction to the previous two. Bear with me It'll tie in soon enough. Enough notes. Please R&R. 


	4. Old Faces, New Minds

The Hero's Many Faces - Chapter 4

The Hero's Many Faces 

Chapter 4 – Old Faces, New Minds 

Usual disclaimers and blah. You know how it goes. The gods at Nintendo own the Zelda games, but I own the characters of Cam and Rega and sort of own Kaelon. So there. Don't pinch 'em. Or else I'll set my pet lava dragon on you.

The castle. Outside, very little had changed since ten years ago. The grey stone walls and gardens still looked the same as they had when two children peered in the courtyard window that fateful day. 

An observer through that same window would see those same two children - adults now - inside in the hall, yet they could not have recognised them for who they were. Even though the weather outside was clear, inside there was a storm. 

"You can't expect me to..." "Yes. I do." 

"That's not right!" 

"Who ever said anything about right? Such a stupid word. It is what will happen." 

The sad thing, Zelda mused, was that he was correct. Somehow, the orders she had been given - whoever heard of a queen taking orders? - would be carried out. Because if they weren't... She shuddered at the consequences. If she dared refuse, the retribution would be terrible. 

But still - declaring war on the Gerudos... She felt sick to the core. 

She looked up into his impassive white eyes. _Why... _

She'd been the ruler for six years now, since her father had been... It was too terrible to think about. To this day, she didn't know who did it. Although for about the first six months, she had been guided by Impa and other able advisors, one day... he'd returned. Since then, he'd been calling the shots. Not a command was made without his say-so. His grasp had become tighter and tighter over time. It was surely only a matter of time before he took over completely... 

_Whatever happened to my hero?_ she thought, although she knew perfectly well. Ever since that day, ten years ago, when she'd seen a monster destroyed - and a dear friend too. He'd walked away from the battle - someone else, someone completely different to the boy she'd trusted with the greatest treasures of Hyrule. And now... 

"Are you listening to me?" he snapped. 

"Yes. Yes. I am." 

"Good. This is what will happen..." He outlined the plan. "But first, I've got some unfinished business." The kid at the market had reminded him of the old days. A thought had struck him, even after all this time. Termina. Hyrule. Parallels... Reminders of weaker days that he could not bear... He walked away. 

- 

Rega sat on the diving platform, and looked into the water. It wasn't fair. He was alone - had always been alone. Ever since his childhood, when he'd first noticed he was - different. Unconsciously, he reached to the back of his neck and traced the tail-formation, ending in a sharp point rather than the flared fins of the other Zoras. _Why me_? He groaned. Even though he was probably the fastest and most athletic of the Zoras his age, he was still "Mr. No-Fins" to everyone else. The lads ignored him, and the girls giggled as they walked past, even the princess. Still, there was one thing he took consolation in. He picked up the fishbone guitar by his side and began to play. The notes floated out across the waters, pure and clear, up, down, down, down, up, down... 

Eventually, he put his instrument to one side. He could hear someone talking faintly. Surprised, he could make out his name. 

"You have one among you who is... different. I must find him." 

"What? Different... Hang on. Do you mean old Rega No-Fins? What do you want with him?" 

"It is none of your concern. Where is he?" 

"If I know him, he'll be playing guitar above the waterfall." 

"...That must be him." 

"Hey! Aren't you going to say thank you?" 

"That depends on whether your advice is worth it." 

What did they want with him? Rega wondered. Before long, he heard faint footsteps behind him. He whipped round... Someone was there. 

Not another Zora - a Hylian. But something was different about this stranger. He didn't look anything like any of the land people that Rega had seen before. He wasn't one of the Royals,_ so how did he get up here_? A thought struck him._ That's never... _He'd heard stories, but hadn't thought anything of them. Land people's politics didn't worry him. But perhaps, he thought, they should have. 

"So. It is you." 

Rega didn't know what to make of that. "What do you mean?" 

"I have no need to explain myself to you. Especially when you will be dead soon..." The stranger drew a double-bladed sword, and lunged... 

Time seemed to slow. Rega could see the blade coming - he charged an electric shield in an attempt to protect himself. The electricity fired back down the sword, stunning the stranger. He recovered quickly, but not so quickly that Rega didn't have a chance to grab his guitar and dive off the fall to safety. Watching as a bolt of blue fire smashed into the water, he sprinted into the hidden tunnel to the Lake, and swam for his life. He looked around. Where did that passage lead... 

- 

The ranch was quiet. Kaelon tried to sleep, but turned, restless, all night. All day, he'd been occupied by what he'd found out in town. Somehow, he felt that he was a part of the story. But how? 

At last, he slumbered. 

_...The open field, with the tree on the hill... Kaelon approached, warily, waiting for an attack... The Fierce figure had gone. Only the boy in green remained under the tree, surrounded by six balls of light. "Want to play... with me?" he asked. Kaelon nodded, slowly... "Well... Shall we go?"..._

_...The field was gone. Instead, a blue cavern full of light and waterfalls. They stood on a white platform, a triangular symbol on the ground, the same as on his hand... Around them, six figures, strangely familiar, watched on... "It's time for you to remember who you are..."_

He woke up with a start. 

- 

"Hey! Cam!" The guards at the castle gate waited for something to happen. Nothing ever did. The odd nosy kid trying to get in, but that was about it. 

"What is it, Len?" Camrey, the taller of the two guards, looked at his companion. 

"You were dozing on shift again. Why are you such a sleepy-head? I thought you Sheikah never slept. They say that's how you get red eyes." 

Cam groaned at the old joke. His unusual eye colour attracted a lot of comments like that. "For the last time, Len, I'm not a Sheikah. You're just being mean. " 

"What. Ever. Just don't blame me if," he nodded in the manner of someone sharing a private comment, "the man upstairs takes it out on you..." 

"What do you mean?" 

"What? Haven't you heard? He's been angrier than usual - and that takes a lot - since he came back from the Zora Falls yesterday. Don't ask me what happened... but I reckon he's gonna come down hard on any slackers. You know as well as I do what that means." He laughed half-seriously and drew his hand across his throat. "Buddy, you are in for it..." Len went white. "Oh, Farore... _he's coming..._" 

The guards looked back to the castle. They understood now where the name "Fierce Deity" came from... He wasn't running. He didn't need to run. His entire stance said he expected to be obeyed. For a second, Cam froze. He was dead... No! He dropped his pike and sprinted into town. He didn't look back - that was a recipe for disaster. However, he heard the footsteps speed up, and the soft sound of a blade. He couldn't stop now... But how long could he keep going for? How long would his headstart give him? His best bet would be to get out of town. Perhaps he could borrow a horse, if he made it to the ranch, but where would he go then?... Eventually, as he ran through back alleys, the pursuit faded. _Guess one little guard's not really worth his time. But I can't go back now_. He paused to catch his breath. Hot, he pulled off his helmet, rolled down his mail and shook out his hair. _Huh. Mr. Inconspicuous here... he mused. Like no-one's gonna notice a guy with hair this colour. If he puts out a notice, I'm deader than ever_. Cam ran fingers through his indigo locks and, cautiously, walked out of town. 

A/N – Any guesses who Rega's and Cam's parallels are in Termina? Yep. You're right. My original idea for this story involved the 'proper' Zora, Deku and Goron Links, but I was attacked by mad writers' blocks. And another thing... (gets down on her knees)_ Please, please, please review!_ I need your input! Even flames, if you must! Come on guys, I'm begging you here! (stands up) Ahem. Thanks.


	5. Awakenings

The Hero's Many Faces - Chapter 5

The Hero's Many Faces 

Chapter 5 – Awakenings 

Okay, usual disclaimers Nintendo own the Zelda games (duh.) I do not. I will someday (bwahahaha!), but that's just wishful thinking However, I do own Rega, Cam, and sort of own Kaelon. (The sort of' will become clear by the end of this chapter.) Hands off! Or I'll set Volvagia on you.

Moonlight shone over the castle. Zelda watched over the gardens from her room in the tower, and cried softly. The soft light illuminated an all too familiar figure in the grounds Once her protector, now her captor... 

He moved carefully and quickly. The sword as long as his body was flicked around as if it was an extension of his arm, and in some ways, that wasn't too far from the truth. While his movements were outwardly calm and focused, inside he burned in anger. 

_How could I let them get away?_

The escape of the Zora and the guard weighed heavy on his mind. He should have remembered the electric shield, from back when he wore that guise Foolish. And as for the other's flight No matter. He couldn't hide for long. Then... 

He would have his revenge one day. 

Almost trance-like, he continued his shadow-fencing, and thought. 

It was exactly ten years since he had become who he was today. But what did that mean, anyway? He knew as well as anyone that time was what you made of it. He had no interest in simply taking over Hyrule with his power, as Ganondorf had -_ the fool_. If he had, he could and would have done so straightaway rather than waiting and exploring, searching for worthy opponents, for four years.Yet, his position in charge of the realm had its advantages. At long last, he would get his revenge on the thieves. Ganon was destroyed, but he still longed to do more... 

The princess looked down at the fierce Link fighting an invisible opponent. Whatever had happened to the hero? 

- 

Kaelon blundered downstairs in a trance. His head still felt as if it was in another world. What was it he was supposed to remember, anyway? _Who am I? What a silly question_ he thought. _Or is it_? 

He looked around. 

Malon? 

Who were you expecting? 

The question stuck. The yell had reminded him of something or someone, but he couldn't think whom. 

no-one. 

I'll give you no-one she grinned. Something's up, isn't it? Well, it's your birthday, so I hope you're going to pick up. Come with me. Dad's got your presents. 

His birthday? How could he forget the day he'd arrived at the ranch He was messed up, he knew. 

Dazed, he followed Malon out to the paddock. Talon was waiting, with two parcels and a smile on his face. A filly nudged at his side. He reached over and gave her a scratch on the nose. Hi, Shara. Epona's foal shared her mother's distinctive white mane. 

His reverie was broken by Talon's coughing. Happy birthday, sonny. 

thanks 

Open this one first Kaelon was passed a small, thin package. Unwrapping the paper, he revealed a carefully carved wooden flute. This one's off Malon. 

thanks, Sis He put it to his lips and began to play. Hesitatingly at first, as he worked out the notes, then the falling tones of a song his sister'd taught him. She looked at him, tears in her eyes. was beautiful, Kae. 

All of a sudden, memories of ten years ago, listening to the same melody on an ocarina while Epona nuzzled at her and She shook her head. 

What's up? 

Nothing. It's just that oh, never mind. 

When you two are done Talon looked over wearing a surprisingly serious expression. Now. Kaelon. I've thought long and hard about this, but I think you're old enough now to handle it. When you first came to us, you weren't on your own. You'd brought something with you I've got it here. He pointed at the second package, long and thin. Go on. It's yours. It must be. 

Gingerly, Kaelon picked up the parcel. It had a solid feel to it. Carefully, he pulled away the paper to reveal 

Never! 

A sword nestled in a red-and-gold scabbard. He pulled it out carefully. The long blade bore a diamond pattern in gold. He stared, amazed. Was this really his? And how? He stepped away, wary, and looked. Strange that it should feel so comfortable in his hand He replaced it, still surprised. 

The rest of the day passed in a happy daze. Whenever he had nothing to do, he would retreat to a quiet spot and play on the wooden flute. Sometimes, he would pick up the sword again and wonder. _But I'm just a kid. This can't be mine_

For the first time in three days, he had no trouble sleeping. But sleep brought its own surprises. 

_The blue chamber again He stared into those so-familiar blue eyes The two boys clutched hands. Kaelon looked in surprise at the triangular pattern on his, which seemed to flare with a strange light_

_And then_

-   
_Ten years ago..._  
- 

The darkness was calling. 

No! He wouldn't give up but did he have a choice? 

Was the darkness his destiny? He felt it creeping into his heart, the spirit of the Fierce Deity 

A bolt of light burst through, a heavenly melody – the song of healing! _Zelda's worked it out_! Or was it too late, as the world around him faded? 

Whiteness 

Am I dead? Where am I? 

Between the worlds. No! That couldn't be 

The Sages! So, this was the Other Realm but how? He knew they hadn't awakened yet in this timeline – but did that matter? He knew as well as anyone that time was what you made of it. 

Yes, Link. It's me And you are alive, don't worry! 

He grimaced. Yeah, I know – as the Fierce Deity. I'm just 

No! Your spirit is safe here. We could not stop the powers from taking your body, but we saved everything that makes you_ you_. We can give you another chance to live but there is a problem 

What is it? 

You will have to be born all over again. There is no way that you will remember who you are at least, not while you are younger. 

No memory? Was living again worth the price? 

"And if I don't take that chance..." 

"Everything you are, your entire soul, will be lost behind the mask. There will be no way back... ever." 

He sighed. I understand.What do I do? 

Just relax 

_Falling_

Images from his past rushed around him. 

The ruined Temple of Time 

Dodging Majora's lashing whips, and deciding to take drastic action 

Watching Anju and Kafei gaze into each other's eyes 

Finding Mikau, wounded, bobbing in the water 

Romani cheering as the sun came up 

Dodging Odolwa's giant blades 

Riding Epona into the forest, his and his only 

Zelda playing the lullaby, sending him home 

The monster Ganon in the ruined castle 

His shadow in the water temple, the savage Dark Link 

The Deku Sprout telling him of his past 

Awakening in the Sacred Realm 

Watching Zelda escape the castle 

Meeting Navi 

Warm in the ranch house, a baby boy opened his eyes. 

-  
_Present day_  
- 

He awoke slowly. 

_Ten years All a dream I was never the ranch boy after all_

He looked down at himself as clashing memories sorted themselves out. No wonder some things had seemed so familiar – what Kaelon had never seen, Link had. He knew who he was now. The mark on his hand, the Triforce of Courage. The sword, the treasure of the Kokiri people, forged on Snowhead Mountain. 

He glanced around at Malon and Talon sleeping. _You were never my sister, never my father _No. That wasn't right. He knew that blood didn't matter. In some ways, they'd been more his family these last ten years than ever the Kokiri had. If Malon called him , he wouldn't correct her... He picked up the sword and the flute and walked outside quietly. 

He raised the instrument to his lips, and played the Song of Time. 

- 

Outside the castle, Fierce Link stopped his shadow-fighting. 

Something was wrong In some way that had nothing to do with his senses, he felt it 

A/N – See? I told you things would make sense! As for the disclaimer at the top, I don't claim to own Link, but I do own Kaelon until he realises who he is. Hence sort of." 


	6. All Roads Lead To...

The Hero's Many Faces - Chapter 6

The Hero's Many Faces 

Chapter 6 - All Roads Lead To... 

Usual blather about how I don't own the Zelda games or characters, just Rega and Cam. OK? And some advance warning of some very minor MM spoilers. Tho' if you've followed this story so far, I doubt what's here is going to ruin anything... 

"The invasion will begin today." 

"What? But..." 

"There will be no argument. Have the army summoned. We will move out at midday. By sunset, we will arrive at the desert." 

Inside, Zelda screamed. _You can't do this, Link! _But whenever she looked into those eyes, she knew that he would... with or without her. She was all too acutely aware that she would only remain queen as long as it suited his purposes. _Whatever they were... _She nodded. "Yes..." 

- 

A young boy sat on a crate in the barn. Idly, he toyed with a wooden flute. It wasn't the ocarina he knew so well, but he could still play the old songs... He quietly played the lullaby that was the first melody he learnt. 

"Kae?" He ignored the urgent call for a while, until he remembered the old name._ Of course. To her I'm still her little brother_. 

"Hmm... Malon? What is it?" 

"I wondered if you wanted to talk... You haven't been yourself lately..." 

_No, Malon. I've been more myself today than I have been for a long time... _"I don't know if I can explain it. I could tell you what's wrong, but you'd think I was mad, or I was telling some sort of a sick joke. It's totally unbelievable, but I swear by all the goddesses it's the truth!" He paused. "Do you still want to hear..." 

"Of course." 

"I'm not Kaelon. I'm Link." 

Malon looked at him strangely. "You're right. That does sound crazy. But go on..." 

He sighed and began to talk. "This all starts ten years ago, when we first met... Please, don't look like that! I can't put it any better... The day after you gave me Epona, I was riding through the woods and wound up in a parallel world - Termina. The moon was falling from the sky. I was the only person who could do anything about it..." Malon listened in amazement. Even if this was just some joke of her brother's, it was an incredible tale... _And if it wasn't, what then?..._ As she listened, she began to believe what he said. "...Eventually, I made my way up the clock tower, and found myself transported to the moon. There, I found somebody, another child, wearing Majora's Mask. They wanted to 'play', and gave me... " He looked down at the ground, and back up at Malon. "the... Fierce Deity's mask, before I was pulled into this strange hall and was attacked by the mask itself! I had to use the Fierce Deity's powers to defeat it... After returning to Hyrule, I had to use them again to destroy a monster from the future - I did tell you about Ganon and the Sages once, before, didn't I? He'd returned... But that time... the Fierce Deity didn't want to let go so easily. The Sages saved my spirit, the part of me that's talking to you now, and brought me back as Kaelon. But... they couldn't do anything about who you've thought of as Link these past ten years..." 

For a while, Malon was speechless. "If that's true, all of it..." By this point, she was totally convinced. Link had told her, and possibly her alone (though she wasn't sure on that point), about that distant future time. She had been sworn to secrecy, and had kept that promise despite everything that had happened. Who else knew, and who else would have told Kae... No! She couldn't think of him like that any more... 

"It is. I know it's hard for you to believe, but..." 

"No. It's not. You've reminded me of - hah - your old self a lot recently. Perhaps this just explains everything..." She put a sympathetic hand on his. Not just as a sister, but as a long-lost friend. _You never left me after all, fairy boy..._

- 

Cam ran across the field breathlessly. He couldn't see any pursuit, but he knew he had to get as far from the castle as he could anyway. If he stayed, he was sure he would find out just how "Fierce" the Deity was... 

Eventually, he reached the gates of Lon Lon Ranch. He paused. Was it fair on them, to just drop in and say, "Look, I'm on the run, got a horse?" He didn't think so, but he didn't see another choice...   
He walked in. There were voices coming from inside a barn. Surely whoever was in there could help him out. 

Malon and Link looked round as they heard the door open. Malon jumped to her feet, but Link just stared. That couldn't be... "Kafei?" He mouthed under his breath, before he remembered. No, just his Hylian counterpart. He laughed ruefully to himself. 

He heard Malon talk. "Excuse me, but who are you?" 

"My name's Cam. I'm - I was - a guard at the palace. Now..." he paused. "I'm in trouble with... the boss." He nodded, trying to suggest who he meant to Malon.  
She didn't get it. "Who's..." 

"He means..." Link paused, trying to think. It must be!..."Fierce..." He cringed, as a stray thought crossed his mind. What was the Fierce Deity doing at the castle, anyway? If he was in charge of the country, how come he'd never heard until the market two days ago? 

It came to him suddenly.  
_Malon... you were only trying to protect me... from someone you saw as a terror..._

"Yeah, kid. That's who I mean. I'm on the run..." 

"I'm surprised you escaped!" 

"So'm I." Cam grinned - an expression Link didn't remember from Kafei's serious face. "I just got lucky, I guess - but if he finds out I'm here, I'm probably dead meat." 

They sat, talked and planned. Eventually, Cam revealed a rumour he'd heard... the invasion of the desert. At that, Link leapt to his feet. "I've got to go there... I've got to stop him..." 

"Kid, what makes you think you can?" 

"I'm him. He's me. I'm the only person who's going to have a chance..." 

- 

The army prepared to move out towards the desert. At the head of the forces, Fierce Link looked back at the soldiers. At long last, he would be going into battle again... Every nerve in his body burned with a long-controlled fury and hunger. But now, he would come into his own. It was true, this was not the first time that he had let the rage out over the past six years. He had ruined the Kokiri woods four years ago, destroying his past. The old treehouse had come crashing to the ground, and a blaze started. Everyone had escaped into the Lost Woods. He had felt no sympathy for his old friends then, not even Saria...   
This time was different from any before, as he would not be alone... Perhaps, he felt, he should have done this on his own - not from guilt but pride. Surely, he had the strength to take on the thieves' fortress alone - after all, he had done just that back in his weaker days! Still, the dark fires blazed inside. He would see the place destroyed, and the best way would be at the head of the army.   
He vaulted easily into the saddle, despite a lack of experience in later days. This wasn't Epona or any of the Lon Lon horses, but a white palace-bred charger. The stallion whinnied and rolled its eyes. Whereas in the old days, he would have talked softly to his steed to calm her down, Fierce Link ignored it and kicked the horse into action. He galloped forward, and the massed forces of Hyrule rode behind him...  
To a near-certain destruction... 

- 

Link stroked Shara's creamy mane. "Yes, Malon. I'm sure I want to do this." He looked aside. "I'm sorry..." 

"I understand. It's just that... I lost you once, ten years ago! I don't want to lose you again..." She looked at the floor. "...Take Shara. When you get to the desert, send her back with a message. That way, I'll know you're alright..." 

He reached around her, and gave her a friendly hug. "Okay. But you won't be losing me. I'll come back, no worries..." He leapt onto the filly's back, and spurred her on. He shouted back as they left the gates of the ranch, leaving two friends behind, "Goodbye, Malon..." _Goodbye... Sis..._

- 

It was almost sunset before boy and filly arrived at the canyon. He planned to get in there first, and find his way around - get ready to meet himself. _But not really... Would I ever destroy an entire race just to fulfil a whim? To get revenge for something that's already settled? That can't be... No. It's just the mask's power... _He tried to rationalise what was happening to himself.   
Although he didn't like to admit it, Link was scared. 

His concentration wandered, as he dismounted Shara and sent her home. He continued on foot into the fortress. The gate was unguarded... perhaps that should have been the clue, he later wondered... Something was wrong... Did they already know what was going to happen to them?   
He walked onwards. The first he noticed of the Gerudo was a shout of "Hey, Nerala! We've gotta troublemaker here!" and a strong grip pinning his arms to his back. He tried to reach for his sword, but couldn't get a grasp on the handle... The guard marched him away, and threw him into a cell. "Huh. Kids. I'll sort you out later, buster." 

He climbed to his feet and looked around. He wasn't alone... A strangely familiar face looked back at him. Familiar, because the last time he'd seen those features was in a reflection, a mirror ball in Latte's Bar... 

A/N: I can't believe I actually finished this chapter! My longest yet... The next one's going to have more action, I promise. And possibly a PG rating too. And another thing... I'm not going to be able to upload Chapter Seven for a while. Holidays. Thanks for your understanding and reviewing... (cough!)  
On that note, many thanks to anyone who's reviewed the first half of this story - Kylo, Firefly, Schell21, Electra, Yuuki, Chica (so long...), Maria Stars, Kobra, Blue Wizardess, Not an Author, Hmm, Watch-a-ma-callit and not forgetting those three ???s (you know who you are). I couldn't have gotten this far without your encouragement. 


	7. Between Darkness And Light

The Hero's Many Faces - Chapter 7

The Hero's Many Faces 

Chapter 7 - Between Darkness and Light 

Nintendo own everything to do with Zelda. Someday I will. But not yet. I only own a coupla characters. Guess who.

- 

Rega looked down in surprise as the Hylian boy was thrown into the cell. He wondered what had happened, that someone that age could be captured and treated like that. These Gerudo were no ladies, that much was for sure... He looked into the boy's blue eyes. A flicker of recognition started across his features...  
"Mi..." he started, before cutting himself off half way.   
"Do I know you?..."  
"No. It's not that. You just look just like someone I knew once."  
"It's not me, then, buddy. I don't know many land-people. Don't know many Zoras, neither, come to mention it. Old Mr. No-Fins, always the outcast... They all treat me like some rotten seaweed, or something..." He bit his tongue. Why was he telling this child he didn't even know how he really felt? _Perhaps because he looks like he's listening. That's a first..._ "Sorry. Didn't mean to bore you with my ranting. My name's Rega, by the way."  
A second's pause. "I'm Link. If it's any consolation, I know how you feel."  
"Do you? Thanks. It's gonna be better to have someone to talk to, while we're slammed up in here... What're you doing here, anyway?"  
"One of the guards caught me creeping in." He wasn't quite sure he wanted to reveal his connections and plans here. But if this Zora could tell him about his past just like that, perhaps he could open up too... He swallowed. "The desert's going to be invaded. The Hylian army, and - " feeling strange, mentioning the name so disconnected - "the Fierce Dei-"  
"_Pesch_!" Rega spat the Zoran swearword out. "You're telling me Oni's coming here, too? He's the reason that I'm in this hole in the first place! I was escaping from him when I was caught! We've gotta get out of here, fast! You got any ideas, buddy?"  
Link looked around the cell. He hadn't seen any ways out so far, but - ah. He lowered his voice. "There's a hole up the top of the ceiling - see it?" The Zora nodded. "Do you think you could help me through there? I can get the keys off the guard."   
Rega looked slightly amused and stunned. "You think you'll be able to beat a guard?"  
"I've done it before."   
"Okay..." The kid had guts, he'd give him that. It was worth a try. The worst that could happen would be that they'd end up back in the same situation. "Well, let's go. Ready?" He braced his hands under Link's foot, and gave him a leg-up. With skill dormant for ten years, untested except on the ranch's apple trees, he grappled at the ledge and hauled himself over.   
It didn't take long for a guard to hear the escape attempt and come running down the corridor. Link was ready, with his sword drawn. The Gerudo laughed at the strange sight of a child with a weapon like that, and carelessly underestimated her attack. Before she was prepared, she felt the flat of the blade against her side. She leapt back in surprise. "So you like to play games like that, kid? I'll give you..." He managed to dodge the spinning blades, but barely. This was proving to be a tougher fight than he'd remembered, but eventually the guard dropped her keys and ran. _I didn't do that much, so why is she leaving so soon?_ he wondered. As he unlocked the cell door, he heard something else. It sounded like... _No, not already..._ He ran across to the window with Rega behind him. 

"Nayru..." he cursed."It's started already!" He stared out over the desert.   
The war had begun. 

-  
  
An invading force swept across the sands. At first, there seemed to be no opposition, but as they progressed...  
Shadowy figures appeared around them. The Gerudo forces came out of hiding to attack the Hylians. The mounted newcomers looked around, slightly surprised - they'd never been told they would be fighting women! Too many of the army, to begin with, were courteous knights. All their lives, they'd been taught that what they were about to do was wrong.   
However, the Gerudos had never had any such qualms. Their attacks ploughed into the Hylian forces, and they began to push them back slowly. 

But not for long... 

- 

From Link's hiding place, he could see a trail leading through the battling forces. Felling slightly sickened, he looked closer. He knew all too well who it would be carving that path of destruction and bloodshed. In horrified fascination, he looked closer, and could almost make out the white eyes of the warrior...  
"Can you see him?" Rega asked.  
Link nodded, his eyes shut. "Yes. I can." He turned to the tall Zora. As he spoke, he sounded more like a hero than a child. "Rega... you try to escape. Go in that direction - " he pointed northwards. "I'm hoping they won't see you."  
"What are you going to do? Oh... no. Are you insane? You're going to go out into that, aren't you?" Link nodded back. "But you're only a kid..."  
He winced back slightly. "I'm not just a kid. I'm the one person in this whole world who has a chance to stop the Deity in his tracks. I have to do this... Don't try to protect me. You'd only be saving me from myself." He took in the amazement in Rega's black eyes. "Go on. I can handle what needs to be done." He sighed. "And if I can't... you'd better be as far away from here as you can be. Because otherwise..."  
Rega sighed, and looked at Link. "I understand. I'll go now." He turned to head down the passageway. "Thanks, buddy." He disappeared out of sight. 

Link looked out of the window for a last time, searching for his own painted face in the melee... 

- 

For a mere thief, Nabooru wasn't too bad an opponent, Fierce Link thought. He knew she would fall easily soon, but he was enjoying this battle while it lasted. It was why he existed after all, to fight...   
Nabooru climbed to her feet and span, curved swords flying, towards him. The old Gerudo trick... He leapt aside and blocked the blows, before holding out his own blade and focusing a blast of energy at the sage. She fell, unconscious, to the ground. 

_...Now to finish what I started..._

Before he could deliver the final blow, he was distracted by a yell. "Over here!" A child's voice?  
He looked around. The boy he'd seen in the market, again. _What's he doing out here? Stupid kid_. He took a closer look. Wait - a golden sword? Like the one he'd had in the old days? The more he thought about it, the more the boy reminded him of how he'd been. Another memory... Perhaps he would have killed him then, but something intrigued him too much. He paused a second. "What's your name, boy?" 

"My name? My name... is Link." 

_...What? Impossible!..._

Fierce Link yelled, and attacked his younger counterpart in fury. Link blocked the blow clumsily, too used to using a shield and out of practice with either. They tried to pull back their weapons, but for a strange reason the two swords would not part... 

Blue eyes met white. A light grew up around the point where helix blade met gilded sword...  
The blaze swept out to engulf them both... 

Or maybe there was only the one...  
- 

_Two souls combining, to form a whole severed so long..._

- 

A darkness one way.  
A blinding light the other. 

In the darkness - a vicious warrior.  
In the light - a brave child. 

"Who are you?" Voices echoing around him, all his own, but all different... 

Whatever that meant. 

"It's your choice... You choose what is in your heart..." An adult's voice... 

_Who am I?  
Link..._

"Remember who you are, always..." A child's voice... 

He looked to the Fierce Deity and the boy hero.   
Which was he? 

He looked into the darkness.  
Span round, and ran into the light that beckoned. 

Immediately, he realised something was wrong, as the darkness followed his steps. _Don't think you can get away so quickly_, he heard his own voice whisper...  
It flooded past him, and left him falling back through a tunnel of memory. 

He yelled, and blacked out. 

- 

The bubble of light faded, leaving a still form on the sands, a moment of silence in the roar of the battle.   
Slowly, he stirred and sat up. He pushed hair out of his eyes and looked around.   
_Where am I?... The desert, where I..._

He stopped. 

_What have I done?_

Only now did he realise what had happened. Both sets of memories clashed in his head, but only one Link remained to perceive them now - and what he saw in his own head appalled him. 

He ran across the desert sands, oblivious to the combat around him, just trying to escape the horrors of his past...  
_But how can I escape what's in my soul..._

Desert turned to plains...   
He fled across Hyrule Field. Time stood still as he ran, with the anger of ten years burning inside him. 

Plains turned to forest...  
He could have been running for a day, two days, more, but it didn't matter...  
He sprinted through the Lost Woods, oblivious to the stares of frightened children...  
Just to get anywhere, anywhere but the battlefield... 

_I have to get away..._

A/N: I'm BAAACK! Miss me? grins I must have had the biggest writer's block _ever _on this chapter! I knew what I wanted to do with it, but just couldn't get anywhere... (pleads for sympathy of kind readers, who will no doubt do her the courtesy of reviewing... oh,_ please!_ Come on!) Well, it's up now. The next chapters aren't causing so many problems.


	8. Return to Termina

The Hero's Many Faces 

Chapter 8 - Return to Termina 

- 

Do I really have to write this? Oh well... If I must... I don't own any of the characters (except Alena and her family), Nintendo do. 

- 

He paused, and looked around him. How did he get here? The forest? He must have run across the whole of Hyrule, trying to get away from...  
Link dropped to his knees and groaned. _How could I have done such terrible things_? he thought. He tried to reason with himself, trying to cope - _it wasn't really me, it was the Fierce Deity _- but that didn't do anything to help, when he knew deep inside...they were one and the same. 

But who was he, anyway? In his confusion and fear - _ha, so much for the Triforce of Courage! _- he hadn't even realised who he was anymore. He knew he was Link, but that was all... Who was this person kneeling on the floor in the heart of the woods...? 

He heard rushing water, and wandered across to see a crystal-clear stream weaving its way across the forest floor. Link bent down and looked into the waters, then jumped back in surprise, the ten-year-old inside in control for a second. Telling himself to stop being stupid, he peered closer at his reflection. 

The face that stared back was that of a Hero of Time, around 20 years old, with blue eyes and blond hair. The blue-and-red marks that he had seen so often had vanished. He looked at his arms and body. A green tunic, with white sleeves and leggings, just like he'd once worn, but - not all traces of Fierce Link had gone, as the black and silver armour still graced his chest and hands. 

_So. This is who I am now, is it? Is this who I am inside?_

Out of curiosity, he reached round to his back and felt a sword handle over his shoulder. He pulled it out and looked. Just like him, the weapon was half way between one form and another - not the helix blade of the Deity, or the child's gilded Kokiri sword. Two blades, long and straight, more like a razor sword than anything, but the same length as the Master Sword. One was silver in colour, the other golden, and marked with odd runes. What did they mean? He held it up, trying to puzzle out what they said. Navi or Tatl could probably have made them out, but neither fairy was here... He lowered his eyes, remembering how Navi had flown away from him in the early days after... his transformation. She hadn't known who he was any longer - she had been Link's guardian, but not Oni's. He hadn't missed her company then, but he did now.  
_I wish she was here... Who am I kidding? If she was here now, she'd just see who I was..._

Sighing, he sat down, and threw an idle pebble into the river. Its tinkling splash sounded all too similar to Navi's voice.   
And all too similar to something else he could hear - it was just on the edge of his senses, but it was still there. Intrigued, he replaced the sword and followed the sounds. As he got closer, the faint noises turned to laughter and conversation. Eventually, he saw an almost familiar scene... A thin and scruffy figure sitting on a log with two fairies flying round him. "Skull Kid?" Link mouthed. He walked closer. 

A twig snapped. Skull Kid looked round, and Tatl and Tael flew out to see what the noise was.   
The older fairy stopped in surprise. Her brother almost flew into her, before seeing who she saw. 

"Is that you...Link?" she asked. She recognised her old friend, despite the passage of time... 

"Yes!" _I think so, anyway... _"...Tatl? Is this Termina?" 

"Not quite... But just follow the river that way to get to the portal, and to Clock Town. Why? Are you coming back?" 

Tatl's question stopped Link in his tracks. Was he going to return to Termina, after all this time?   
What was left for him in Hyrule? 

_He couldn't go back._

"Yes. I am." 

- 

He pushed open the Clock Tower doors, and looked out into the bustling town. At first glance, nothing had changed, as the square in front of him appeared identical to how he'd seen it for the first time ten years ago. After a closer look, however, things seemed slightly different - a market was in full swing. For a second, he was reminded of... running into himself, not even a week ago... and half-expected to see a Terminian counterpart in the crowds. Nothing happened, and after a minute's pause he walked onwards. He hoped there would be room at the Stock Pot - would Anju and Kafei recognize him? he wondered. At least here, they would recognize a friend, and not a warlord... 

The inn was quiet, and he checked in quickly. He wondered if they'd redecorated recently, as he was directed to the room he'd stayed in the first time. Wandering up the stairs, thinking, something ran into him. He snapped round to see a young girl sprinting down the steps. She turned round to apologise -   
and Link was struck with a sense of déja vu...  
_Saria?..._ Did Kokiri even exist in Termina? Even if they didn't, the resemblance between his oldest friend and this child was unmistakable. She'd even dyed her hair green. 

"Sorry!" she piped up, nervously. 

"No...I should've been looking where I was going." He had too much to apologise to her counterpart over - and a little of this responsibility rubbed off on the youngster. _She doesn't need to say sorry. I do... _"It's just... you remind me of someone I used to know." 

"Were you friends?" she asked, forgetting her earlier fears. 

"We were... once..." 

For a while, they talked as two children. The girl's name was Miria, and she was staying for a while with her uncle and cousin who lived to the north of town. However, she'd wandered off and gotten lost, forgetting her way back... She'd looked everywhere, but she didn't know where to go... 

"I'll help you find them." Another bit of the debt he owed the forest children... and besides, he knew what it was like to be stuck lost and alone. _At least she doesn't have to worry about the moon..._

Her eyes lit up. "Will you? Thank you!" 

"Of course." 

- 

They presented a strange pair, the happy-go-lucky child and a fighter in full armour. Yet, neither seemed worried by the other's company. Miria tagged along behind Link as they headed for the North Gate. Even though it was ten years since he'd been here, it seemed like only yesterday... Things had changed! Houses had been built where he remembered just parkland. Miria's eyes lit up. "This is it! This is the spot! They live over there! Thanks!..." She paused. "Why don't you come in?" 

She ran over and knocked at the door. An old - no, he wasn't so old, just fatigued and worried - man opened it. Something looked familiar about him, but Link couldn't lay a finger on what it was. "Ah! Where did you get to? We were worried!..." He stopped, realising she wasn't alone. He looked at Link, sure he'd seen him before... He whispered something under his breath.   
"Uncle Darris? This is Link. He helped me find my way back here."  
The confusion faded. "Oh? Pleased to meet you. Thanks for finding Miria..."  
"She found me, really!"  
"Well. Whatever. Are you new in town?"  
Link paused. "Last time I was here was ten years ago..." Another pause. How much could he tell them? "For the carnival..."  
"Ten years ago? You mean, when the moon..."  
He grimaced. "Yes. That's it exactly."  
"Can I come in?" Miria interjected.  
"Oh. yes. Of course. And you can, too..." 

The house, despite being so new, felt old. Part of the atmosphere was created by the rows and rows of bookshelves which lined the walls. The room was more like a library than anything... A large table filled up a lot of the floorspace. More books were open there, along with various ancient scrolls. It looked like someone had been copying something. Link peered closer, and puzzled out the crabbed handwriting. "Darkness = light... ? rel. to F.D. legend... check records #324-332... many worlds? Time." Something nagged in the back of his mind... this meant something, but he couldn't think what... It all sounded so familiar.  
Darris turned round. "What do you think, lad? All my own work..."  
"What do you mean?"  
"I'm a historian, lad. It's my job to decipher these old records." He sighed. "Sometimes, that's easier said than done... this latest one's been giving me a lot of trouble..."  
Link had an idea. If this man spent his life studying old languages, perhaps... "Excuse me? Could you have a look at something for me?" Quietly, he pulled out the sword. "Do you know what this reads?"  
The older man jerked back in mild surprise, before looking at the runes inscribed in the metal. "Hmmm... It looks like High Ikanian, but there's strange differences... probably a dialect... Shouldn't be a problem to decode it, though. If I could have a closer look?"  
Link thought for a second, before passing it over. As Darris reached for the hilt, he leapt back as if stung. "Yeowch! It bit me! What happened? Is it magic?"  
"...I don't know. It might be." Something occurred to him. "I don't think anyone else can use it. It doesn't know you only want to look." _The Master Sword, all over again..._  
"Weelllll... Tell you what, lad, you stay here, and we'll work it out together. Sound fair enough?"  
"Okay." In some ways, he felt a bit more comfortable, knowing that the sword wouldn't be out of his sight. He wouldn't have admitted it, even to himself, but he felt a strange connection with the blade. The Master Sword had felt like an old friend as he fought, but this weapon... felt more like a part of himself.   
Exactly the same as how the powerful helix-bladed sword had felt, those past ten years. 

The papers were moved away, and the sword was laid down on the table. As Link watched, Darris pored over the inscription, an expression of total concentration on his face. He hummed quietly to himself. Occasionally, he would flip a page in a book, or scribble something down. As he grew closer to the end, his expression tightened into a frown. He muttered under his breath. "No. That's got to be... no, it is. Doesn't make sense... ah, I've got it." Darris whistled, quietly. "Well, there's a thing."  
"What is it?"  
"I've translated it twice, and it seems to come out one of two ways. Both opposites. Either, 'from darkness comes the light of courage' or 'from light comes the power of darkness...' You know, I've read both those quotes before... " He glanced up. "What is it? Is something wrong?"   
Link looked sick. "... No. It's nothing." _Come on, he couldn't know!_ The inscriptions seemed to mock him. Darkness and light, courage and power... "Thanks. I'll... I'd better be on my way." He picked up the sword, and - a little too quickly - headed for the door. "Thanks again..."  
"You know, lad, you're always welcome here. My daughter's about your age. Perhaps you two'd like to meet up sometime? It'll do you good to have a friend here, if you're new in town."  
"Okay..." A pause. "See you..." 

- 

Link headed back to the Stock Pot, his head spinning. It was getting dark outside, and he looked up at the sky. Total darkness, the Terminian moonless night. Only a faint arch through the sky indicated where the grinning globe had once been... He walked up the stairs of the Stock Pot inn, and shoved open the door of his room. It had definitely changed since he'd stayed there ten years ago, but a chest still sat in the corner. He looked at it for a second, before flipping open the lid. He hauled the heavy gauntlets off his arms and threw them into the box. _So long, Fierce Link... _he thought. The rest of his armour followed suit, before he slammed the lid shut.   
The events of the day had definitely taken a toll on him. His Fierce person had had very little need of sleep - but he was no longer that dark warrior. And as he was, fatigue crept over his body. After all, he hadn't slept and had barely eaten for two days. Link pulled his green cap from his had and threw it on top of the chest. He ran his fingers through his long golden hair and fell backwards onto the bed still virtually fully dressed. His eyes closed, and he tried to relax.  
If that was possible. 

It soon turned out it wasn't. Link stared at the ceiling above his bed, physically weary but unable to sleep. Images flickered through his mind, a deity's dream but a hero's nightmare. _It wasn't me_, he told himself, repeating the same tired line. _That wasn't..._  
A more sinister voice in the back of his mind whispered - _and you really believe that, Lord Oni?_

He bolted upright, shuddering, almost sobbing. The activities of the day had distracted him from the all too recent past - but here and now, he only had his thoughts and his memories. Two sets of them. Yet in the darkness, only one seemed to matter. Kaelon's childish life, happy and innocent, was drowning under the Fierce Deity's acts of war. Eventually, he could take no more. Frustrated, he began to hammer at the wall, as a little boy denied the chance to grow up wept inside for what he had done. Under his breath, thin and ragged words escaped. "It couldn't... it didn't... why, oh, why... how could I have been so..." 

Sleep didn't seem to be an option any longer. Link got to his feet and yanked his hat back on. Perhaps what he needed, he decided, was a change of perspective. Yes, that would do it.   
It was only when he was already out of the door of the inn that he realised he'd picked up his sword without realising. He silently cursed. 

- 

The streets of Clock Town were deserted, even though it was still early in the night. Link wandered on, almost oblivious to where he was walking. He had nowhere to go, any more. But in the silence of the darkness, one thing stood out.  
A faint, absorbing music. He looked around, trying to find its source. Soon, it became clear it came from Latte's Bar just across the road. Slowly, he smiled, as he recognised the tune as one he'd played under Mikau's guise - but flinched as he remebered how he had attacked the guitarist's parallel over nothing but a happy memory. He only hoped that Rega had managed to escape the fortress in one piece... 

Sighing quietly, Link pushed open the milk bar's door and made his way across the dance floor. It felt so strange, all these people not paying any attention, when so recently they would have shuffled away in fear - _but they shouldn't have to_. He ordered a cheap bottle of milk, noticing a new list of drinks behind the bar but ignoring it. Part of him was still ten years old and far from ready for anything stronger - and the part of him that wasn't didn't think he deserved it. In a subdued mood, he took a quick sip from the bottle and settled back to let the music drown his pain. Something tickled at the back of his eyes as the band moved on to a soft ballad. He folded his arms and rested his head on the tabletop. 

"Hey... wake up..." a soft voice whispered. A soft, familiar voice. Link rolled his head over and looked up.  
"What's up, Zelda..." he muttered, before his mind caught up with his mouth. "Oh, sorry! You're not..." _Why would Zelda be concerned about me, anyway? After I..._?  
"Not what?"  
"Thought you were someone... someone I knew."  
She shook her head. "Sorry, no. It's funny, but - have I seen you before?"  
"Probably not," Link replied. "I'm from... another country. I haven't been here since I was a little kid." _First time around._  
"Oh? Where are you from, then?"  
"You ever hear of a place called Hyrule?"  
"Never." 

The young queen's parallel turned aside and back to her own drink. "It's funny," she muttered. "You really, really remind me of someone, but - never mind." The music continued uninterrupted, and she tapped an increasingly depressed looking Link on the shoulder. "Something's up, isn't it."   
"I'd be fine if you'd leave me alone," he grumbled.   
"There's no need to get like that," she commented, offhand. "You look like you've been in a war or something." He almost flinched at the words. "Come on. Tell me. I can keep a secret, honest? What is it?"  
He sighed. Perhaps he could trust her. "It's a long story."  
"I like stories. Go on..."  
Link gave a weak grin. There was no way out of it. A little uneasily, he began to speak. Slowly but surely, the details of his life began to emerge - beginning with his earliest meetings with the Deku Tree as a child, passing through his quests against Ganon and Majora, and eventually arriving at the present day.   
But not all the details. He was not ready to admit the truth to a stranger. Skirting the edge of the facts, he gave the impression that he had moved from the forest to the ranch by choice; that there had never been an Oni or a Kaelon, only the one Link, who had grown up the usual way and eventually taken employment as a soldier at Hyrule Castle; that he had found his way to Termina after escaping the Gerudo prison, not to escape his past. The cruel truth hidden behind a mask of lies, he could only hope for a little peace - even if it was a deception.  
Eventually, he finished, and let out a long breath. "So, that's it. That's me, Link. What about you, then?"  
She blinked. "What about..."  
"I've told you everything - you going to say anything about yourself?"  
"Oh. That. It's not as interesting as your story, though. My name's Alena. I used to live up north, Snowhead way, but we moved down here about eight years back."  
"'We'?"  
"Me and my father. He's a historian..."  
Link gave Alena a look. "His name - is it Darris, by any chance?"  
"Yes. You know him, then?"  
"Not really. Just met him earlier."  
"Ah."  
For a while, the conversation dried up. The music played on, trying to fill the silence, but not really succeeding.   
"So... Link?... I'm off. See you around? Sometime?"  
He blinked. "Oh. Sure." Strangely quietly, Alena left. Link watched on. 

_At least I've got one friend here,_ he thought. _But... if she knew the truth, knew the real me... would she still...  
But she's not going to know.  
Not now, anyway.  
And as for the future - that's tomorrow._

- 

A/N: Whoo! This chapter's gone into overdrive! Well, it had to, really. I'm introducing a pretty major character here in Alena - this is already a third-edition rewrite. I needed a romantic interest for Link (poor guy, all alone...). Zelda and Malon are obviously out of the question; Romani's a little too close to Malon for comfort; I can't think of any other Terminian female characters his age except for that brat in the music box house - so who better than the princess's parallel? Sorry that her entrance has been a bit - how shall I put this - abrupt, for a major character. I hope I can fill more in on her background in the future.   



	9. Brave Hearts

The Hero's Many Faces - Chapter 9

The Hero's Many Faces 

Chapter 9 - Brave Hearts 

Usual disclaimers apply, as in I don't own any characters (except Alena's family), Nintendo do.

- 

_Two years later..._

- 

A young couple walked down the sandy shoreline hand-in-hand. Every so often, he would reach up to play with her long hair, or she would run her fingers over the sharp form of his ear. Together, they wandered, engrossed in each other's company.   
Eventually, they paused. He walked away, and laid a wreath at a guitar-shaped memorial. He closed his eyes for a second, lost in memory, before returning to where she waited. 

"Thanks, 'Lena." 

"It's okay, Link. I know that meant a lot to you. " 

"More than you can imagine." _Mikau... I will remember you... Rega... I'm sorry for what I tried to do..._

They headed back towards the field, and back to Clock Town. Lazy footprints traced a path across the sands, as the sun slowly set and left the black and moonless sky above them. 

Suddenly, a strange noise disturbed them. Link whipped round. Something was coming out of the water. A monster! After so long?... A heaving mass of tentacles and fins sloshed its way onto the shoreline. A head on a long slimy neck looked round. It focused on the pair on the sands.   
Link saw the hunger in its eyes. _No!_ "Alena - get away! I can handle this thing!" She sprinted to safety. 

He drew the double-bladed sword from his back, and faced up to the sea-serpent.   
All that time of quiet Termina life fell away... 

_...What is this thing? No matter - it's no challenge... it's so soft and vulnerable..._

_...Ha! Fish out of water..._

He vaulted around the creature's long neck, and struck at its body. It writhed in pain, and contorted round trying to see its attacker... 

_...That'll show it..._

Two tentacles lashed out from the fish-monster. He leapt backwards to escape, before charging in for another blow. The sea-monster slumped to the ground, and disappeared under the sands. 

Link paused for a second, catching his breath - mentally more than physically - before sheathing the sword and looking round for Alena's figure crouched behind a wall. He walked over. "'Lena - you okay?" 

"Sure, I'm fine! It was a bit of a shock, seeing that thing coming like that, but that's all..." She looked up in surprise. "Link! Your eyes... they're... different..." She picked a mirror out of her pocket and passed it over. "Look..." 

He stared at his reflection in amazement. _How..._

White fire burned where blue pools should have been...  
In his frenzy, the Fierce Deity had crept back... 

He closed his eyes and tried to focus inwardly. Calm... easy... He opened them again to see their familiar blue tones. Still surprised, he passed Alena's mirror back. 

"What just happened? I've never seen you look so..." She looked for the right word.  
"Fierce?"  
"That's it exactly." 

He sighed. The secret would have to come out eventually. Here in Termina, there was no-one he trusted more... no, he would have to tell Alena now. "I... haven't been quite honest with you about my past." 

"Of course you have... hero. You told me everything when we first met! What is it you're so worried about telling me, then?" 

"Sit down. You're not going to like what I have to say. It all began here, on the clock tower twelve years ago..." 

Night crept on, but neither Link nor Alena noticed the encroaching darkness. She listened, amazed. Could what he was saying really be true? That this brave and loyal friend could be... have been... someone like the Fierce Deity? A cold-hearted warmonger? She was reminded of a story she had once read in her father's archives. It was coming back to her now... 

"Oh, Link..." 

"I know. I understand if you hate me now. " 

"No. I don't hate you..." Her tones were filled with pity - not fear or disgust. "It doesn't matter to me what you did in the past. For all the time I've known you, you've been as far from what you've just described as... as... as night is from day. Perhaps I should be scared, perhaps I should walk away, now I know the truth, but I only know you as the good guy. It doesn't worry me." She put her hand across the faint triangle mark on his. "Just don't keep any more secrets like that from me. Okay?" She looked deep into his eyes and smiled.   
He smiled back. "Okay." 

They walked back, lost in thought. 

- 

She flicked through the yellowing pages of the history book by candlelight, looking up references. Alena shared her father's fascination with the past, and often helped him with his research. She couldn't help but feel that he took it more seriously than the world around him, sometimes. But tonight, she was not looking anything up for him, but for herself...  
Even though she'd expected to find something, Alena still stifled a yelp as she saw the picture drawn in careful lines and read the inscription underneath. The text was faint, but she could just make out what it said. 

"_... Two worlds will meet, and one will come who knows both darkness and light... The eyes of the stars will fall as he shows his true colours, yet a pure heart will conquer all... The hero will see himself face to face, and finally defeat his fears..._" The rest of the page was torn and tattered, the text unreadable. She wiped her eyes. There was no mistaking who it was in the picture, especially after what she'd seen and learnt on the seashore earlier that day.  
She marked the page, and carried the heavy volume into the guest bedroom. 

"Psst! Wake up!"  
"Alena? Wha's'it? Why'd'you wake me up?" Link mumbled. 

She opened the book, and looked Link in the eyes. "That's you... isn't it?"  
He nodded, slowly. "That's right. Or at least, it was. Don't know how they could have known..." He peered a little closer at the woodcut in the book. "They didn't get the details quite right - I never wore my hair like that! - but for the most part, yes, that was me. The armour's even locked in the chest over there. I... just... don't ever want to go back to what happened..."  
"I understand."  
_Alena, you don't...No-one can. _"Thanks." 

- 

_...An infinite dark plain stretched forever in front of him. Nothing to see, for as far as eternity... but something to hear... A voice, faint but distinct, striking as the lightning strikes an ancient tree... "Come back, come back to where this all began... The truth awaits you there..."_  
He awoke, and remembered nothing. Only the darkness. 

- 

The early springtime sunshine beat down over Clock Town, as Link walked through the square to the east. He looked, as one of the carpenters stepped away from hanging a poster on the wall. "The carnival's back?"  
"That's what it says, isn't it? Looks like it's going to be the biggest one for, oh, I don't know how long! I've heard that the Indigo-gos are even going to be performing. Huh. Say what you will, I still think they lost it after Mikau left. That last performance of his was the best."  
Link swallowed, unsure whether or not to take it as a compliment. Only he and Lulu knew the truth - the rest of the band had been left in the dark. Another secret, never to surface...  
A thought struck him. The Carnival of Time... if he remembered rightly, it wasn't just an excuse to party on down...  


Link span round, and headed on towards the inn.   
He had to talk with Kafei.   
Perhaps he could advise the 'green hat boy' who had helped him once in the ways of the heart... 

- 

Midnight over the tower. The stars shone brightly overhead in many colours, and the ethereal ring that had once been the grinning moon seemed to shimmer with a strange energy. Fireworks burst and sparkled, crimson and turquoise flares against the deepest blackness, and shining brightly in all the hues of the rainbow.   
Link and Alena emerged onto the clock-face platform at the top of the tower. She looked around in amazement. "It's... it's beautiful... I never came up here carnival night before..."  
He looked her straight in the eyes, and laughed softly. "Just like you, really." He produced a parcel and presented it to Alena. "Go on..."   
She tore open the plain wrapping. Her fingers touched a smooth metallic surface. A box? Ruby and sapphire patterns covered the outer lid. It must have cost - how much? 300R? She flipped it open. Immediately, a melody began. Simple, three notes rising and falling, but entrancing. "For you."  
Her eyes opened wide. "Oh, Link! It's... it's lovely! Thank you!" She locked her arms tight around him, in a fierce embrace. 

A low, threatening noise interrupted the special moment. Laughter?  
"The song of time? So you want to turn back the clock?"  
"Link? What did you just say?"  
"I didn't say anything..." Together, they looked around to see where the sound had come from. There was nothing to see... 

Until a bolt of energy flared out of the darkness. Alena let out a faint scream as the blaze smashed into her chest and flung her across the patterned floor. Link snapped round.   
"Alena! No... Who are you? Who did that? She didn't do a thing to you, so why did you..."  
"She made me sick. As for who I am..." Now he realised whose voice that was... it was his own... 

A figure stepped forward, seemingly out of nowhere.  
Burning white eyes locked with Link's, cool and blue. 

_That's..._

"Call me Oni." 

- 

A/N - Dun dun DUNNNNN! What will happen to our hero now? Tune in next week...  
A quick character note. I know I've mysteriously got Alena appearing from nowhere *but* I kind of needed a romantic interest for Link (poor guy, all alone...), and earlier goings-on in the story have neatly ruled out the usual suspects (ie. Zelda and Malon - and by extension Romani, I guess...) So who better than the princess' parallel? As it is, I've got plans for this girl's future (well, her past.) (watch this space...)


	10. Face Off

The Hero's Many Faces - Chapter 10

The Hero's Many Faces 

Chapter 10 - Face Off 

Usual disclaimers apply, as in I don't own any characters (except Alena's family), Nintendo do. 

- 

Link stepped back from the warped mirror image. How could that be? How could he come face-to-face with the Fierce Deity, when... He stopped.   
He'd never removed the mask, had he? For all that he saw the blue eyes in the mirror each day, the face unstained... below the skin, the other face had remained.  
He'd carried the dark powers within him the last two years without realising... and somehow they'd been set free again. 

Oni laughed - not a classical evil laugh, as Ganondorf might have used, but one almost of amusement. "Why so surprised at what you see? I'm you, Link. All your dark thoughts, all your cruel feelings. All of what you pretend never existed. I'm nothing but what is part of you. Yet... I am stronger than you could ever be." He stepped closer, and idly swung his sword. "Think about it. The light cannot exist without darkness to show it up. And you cannot truly claim to be the hero... if you do not know what it is like to be the villain.  
"How about a game, little boy? Oh yes. I know everything you do, _Kaelon_," he spat. "How about it? Good guys against bad guys, remember?" 

_...The same place, twelve years ago..."You're the bad guy. And when you're bad, you just run. That's fine, right?"... And then the nightmare that wasn't a nightmare began..._

"NO!" Link shouted. "This time, I'm not running!"  
"Well, how about that. Finally ready to face your fears?" The painted face twisted into a grin. "You won't win, you know. And then, it's back to the old days - and it's not like that would be a bad thing. Those proud ten years, a warrior to be feared. You were somebody then."  
"I was nobody. The somebody I thought I was was living another life as a kid on a ranch. Damn it! You," and Link paused to let it sink in, "_you _were a soul-less killer."  
"Don't pretend. You can't try to claim 'oh, it wasn't me, I was just a boy, you took over my body.'. It didn't matter what happened to that childish mind. What _you_ became was far greater. For ten years, when we were one and the same, you thought of yourself _as Link_. That is what mattered. You chose that path for yourself, and you cannot deny it..."   
He couldn't reply to that. It was true, too true... although it seemed different now, twelve years ago, he had looked to the darkness for himself... 

- 

The darkness was calling. 

No... he wouldn't give up... but did he have a choice? 

Was the darkness his destiny? He felt it creeping into his heart, the spirit of the Fierce Deity... 

A bolt of light burst through, a heavenly melody - the song of healing! _...She's worked it out!... _But surely the light should not hurt as it did? It burned at his heart. Something was being torn from his very soul, and was vanishing into the light. 

He was empty.  
Feelings and emotions - what were they? They were gone, as if they had never existed. Anything and everything that had made up the child's spirit... gone.  
Only his memories remained, and they too were virtually lost without the guiding light. He was nothing but an empty shell, a void waiting to be filled.   
The only thing that was left to him, the only choice he could make... 

_...Turn to the darkness.   
...Turn to the chaos.   
...It is there for you, waiting..._

He reached out for the burning fury and seized it tight, claiming it as part of who he was.   
It burst through him... Pure, blinding passion. Pure, blinding rage.   
He accepted his fate. 

_...This is who I am..._

Fierce Link climbed to his feet, and saw the world through new eyes. 

- 

"Perhaps you're right. But that was the past. This is the present. And don't think I'm going to give in and let you take me over again... This is where it ends."  
"And how do you expect to fight back? You haven't even got your sword, little boy. Look at yourself. Poor, weak, defenceless... It makes me sick to think that I was once so powerless as you are." Oni laughed. "There'd be no fun in fighting you like that." He snapped his fingers. Link's sword materialised in his hand. He looked at it, surprised.  
"Let's go." 

The deity and the hero began to circle each other, sapphire and diamond gazes locked together. 

_Was I ever that terrible?_

_...Was I ever that weak?..._

Link lunged forward first, but his blow was parried easily.   
Oni attacked next. In one flowing movement, his sword cut through the air, trailing blue energy.  
It struck home. Link fell to the floor, and groaned. Just in time, he saw the fireball coming. He rolled aside quickly. 

_...Just look at him. Look! Pathetic, to think something like him could bear the title of Hero of Time..._

Link struggled to his feet, and unsteadily readied his sword. 

_Can I really defeat him?  
It's the Water Temple, all over again!_

An idea struck. Dark Link's response to his lunges had been... 

Oni thrust forward, but Link was ready this time. With every last ounce of his strength, he leapt, and landed on the flat of the blade. He balanced, precariously, before stabbing forward. 

But, of course, the Fierce Deity remembered that trick too... 

_...You fool. You're not going to get me that easily..._

He swung the great twisted sword backwards and over his head. Link crashed to the ground clumsily, dropping his own weapon. 

And then the energy blast struck. Burning, with a cold fire that wanted to eat its way into his heart... 

_Am I dying?_

No! He wouldn't give up.  
He couldn't give up now. 

The most painful battle of his life had begun.  
For all he knew in his mind it could only be a few hours, it seemed like an eternity.  
Every attack - blocked.  
Every move - avoided.  
While his adversary laughed in his face, his every blow striking where it was supposed to. 

Link gasped for his every breath.  
Oni wasn't even breathing heavily. 

He'd thought fighting his shadow was bad.  
This was worse. This was hell, it was agony... 

The helix blade pinned him to the ground.  
"Surrender now, little boy. You know that you won't survive this. Perhaps then, I can promise you an easy death - no. It won't be death, if you accept me."  
"Why... should I?"  
"It's your destiny..."  
"What... do you... mean?"  
"You were born to fight, so-called hero. Don't deny it..."  
"If I was born... to fight... I was born not to give up!" 

He struggled upwards, and looked into his own features, at once calm and full of rage. 

"I'm not going to give up!"  
"Fine! I'm going to enjoy this!" 

_...Why does he deny the truth so easily?..._

Link saw the final blow coming. The deity sprang forwards, the blades of his sword trailing an ethereal blue fire.  
The end was near... or was it? 

In the split second he had, Link held out his own sword, and concentrated... Energy flowed down the blade, blue, red... beyond that, into the purest white light.  
It was all so clear, now.  
He knew what he had to do. 

He leapt straight upwards, catching the look of surprise in the white eyes as Oni missed his target.  
In midair, he twisted. The sword, shining brilliantly, smashed into the back of the Fierce Deity's neck.  
Both combatants collapsed. 

If Link had been thinking straight, he'd have expected to see blood. But instead... the warrior was fading as so many of Link's adversaries had, into light and mist.   
He spoke faintly. "Perhaps you're stronger than I took you for, little boy. Perhaps... I can be proud... that I am a part of you... now and always. You can't escape me now... good guys... bad guys... what's the difference?..." 

And then he was gone. Only a blue energy remained in the air - a light made of darkness, swirling and shining towards Link, and vanishing. 

The battle was over. 

Painfully, Link climbed to his feet again, and looked around.  
No!  
He'd forgotten... how could he forget...  
"Alena..." he whispered. He ran across to her still form. She was breathing, but shallowly, the sort of breaths that indicate that the breather hasn't many left. "Alena! Don't... you can't be... you can't die on me now!" He lifted her gently. "Please, 'Lena... I... I..." The words came unsteadily, but surely all the same. "I love you!..."  
He was no stranger to feelings of rage, but this anger was different. How could this be the end? She hadn't done a thing! 

_That never stopped you before. _His mind played the traitor._ There were many others, as innocent as she is, and you..._

"No!" Link choked back the tears that were threatening to overwhelm him. "That's all in the past. I'll admit it! Yes, I'll admit who I was! But it isn't who I am now! I'll put things right, just give me time... just let her survive... just..." 

Slowly, Alena opened her eyes. "Link?" she whispered, quietly. "You... I heard you..."  
"Don't try to talk. Just relax."  
She smiled faintly, and looked up into his eyes. Even dazed and in shock, she realised something was wrong. "There's... there's something on your face, Link!"  
His heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"  
"It looks... there's red marks just by your eyes. And... your forehead..."  
"A blue mark?" She nodded. His heart began to race. _How is that possible? Did it happen in the fight? Or just now, when I destroyed the Deity... or perhaps I didn't destroy him after all... _Now he came to think about it, it did feel strange, he could feel something there, like... a mask. _The_ mask.  
Alena reached up to Link's painted face and traced the red streaks back towards his ear. "I don't know... it kind of looks good on you..." she smiled. She ran her fingers on backwards, and paused. "I can feel... there's something by here. Can't you feel it?"  
Link paused, then replied in a whisper. "The Fierce Deity's mask... perhaps, I can finally be free of it... Can you pull at what you feel there?"  
She nodded, and tugged.   
Link felt the pain, as something was ripped away from him that had been there more than half his life. But it was done now.   
He looked down, and saw his own face held in Alena's slender hand. "Thank you."  
"For what?"  
"For letting me be myself, again. Come on, 'Lena. Let's go." He helped her to her feet. "Hey, look! The sky. The sun's coming up. Doesn't that look..."  
Blue eyes locked on the crimson skies, as the sun rose. 

Alena rested her head on Link's shoulder, and whispered softly.   
"The dawn of our first day..." 

- 

A/N: Finished at last! I can only hope you guys have enjoyed reading this at least as much as I have writing it (and that's a lot).  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed for your support. It's meant a lot to me.  
Watch this space for the sequel, "Guardian of Time", coming soon...


	11. Epilogue

The Hero's Many Faces 

- 

Epilogue: Into Dreams 

- 

_... He walked across the open green plain, broken by a single tree. The wind blew softly through his long platinum hair, flicking it into his eyes. This was all too familiar, somehow - but - how?  
Suddenly, he remembered.   
...It's where it all began. Twelve years ago...  
...Where I first faced an enemy I had never imagined... myself...  
...What am I doing here?..._

_It was no surprise to see a child waiting under the tree's tall boughs. But not the Majora-child who had wanted to play so cruelly. It was ...himself as a boy of ten or so. But, at the same time, not himself. This was no young Link - but, if it was possible, a young Oni._

_As if he had not realised until that moment, he looked at himself in shock. _

_"Why so surprised?" the child asks, smiling. "You're only seeing yourself, you know..."  
"No!" he yells, turning away. "This isn't the way it's supposed to be!"  
"Who's to say how it is..." the reply comes. "You can't try to say you're not who you are..."  
"I know who I am!" But even as he speaks, he is no longer so sure.  
"Do you?..."_

- 

Shuddering and aching, Link awoke. It was nearly midday, and the sun streamed in through his window. He tried to roll over and out of bed, but his wounded muscles resisted angrily. Though Alena had retrieved a bottle of blue potion from the cellar on their arrival at her home, it was not doing too much good. Groaning, he finally reached out for his tunic, which lay over the side of a chair.   
He stopped as he saw the bloodstains, rips and energy burn marks that his battle had left there. Just like his mind, the green cloth was tattered.  
_I can't pretend... nothing happened there.  
I saw it. I know who I am.  
Who I was - no, I'm not, not any longer._

Changing his mind, he pulled a different set of clothes out of the cupboard. As he did so, shuddering inside, he saw the mask almost carelessly cast aside on the floor. Silent, he reached down to pick it up. 

_Looks so innocent, doesn't it... but it's cost me so much. Cost me a life.   
(And cost so many others theirs.)_

_There's no way I can - ha - mask what I've done.  
_Link paused._  
I couldn't? No! I can't...  
...Go on. Scared of a piece of wood?...  
...You won't remember anything. You're not worried for the sakes of those who know you. It's your own conscience, and that won't trouble you any longer...  
No! That's wrong!  
I could never...  
...I could..._

Not believeing what he was doing, Link slowly began to raise the mask to his face. Its pull was almost magnetic.  
_Do this, there's no going back...  
...Going back to what? Why would I want to..._

It was only inches away. He could almost feel the transformation pains ready to strike his body. He braced, and closed his eyes.  
_...It's coming. Your destiny..._

Suddenly, an unseen force snatched the mask from his hands. Link looked up in confusion.   
"Alena? Why... what?..."  
"What did you think you were doing, Link?!"  
He paused. It had seemed so... so clear. But now, his motives had faded. "I don't... I don't know... I just felt that it was the only way."  
"Only way to do what?" He had no reply. "You said... I heard what you said to me. If that's true, how could you want to... go back to what you said was a nightmare?"  
Silently, Link shook his head. "It wasn't a nightmare then. Only in my memory. It's like... oh, I can't even say what it was like. Let's talk about it downstairs, okay?"  
She nodded back. "Okay. But I'll keep _this_ for the moment." Together, they walked away. 

- 

Seated by the fire, Alena and Link talked quietly. "I can't pretend I understand what you went through," she coaxed in a soft voice. "But going back to it would be no sort of an answer."  
"I know that now - it's just... it was a part of me for so long. I guess... there's some bit of me that won't accept it isn't any more. I can't believe what I tried to do either. But... I just want to see the last of those days..." He got up. "I'm going for a walk. Think some fresh air'll help get me feeling straight."  
"Alone?"  
"Never alone." Laughing, they walked away. 

Watched by a mask's silent and empty eyes. 

- 

A/N: Wha'... I only wrote an epilogue now, half a year after I finished uploading the story? Eh, well. It's only one revision out of many, in one story out of a series. Please. Read on.   
Thanks to anyone who's reviewed any of my stories. It means a lot. 


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